[Westheim]

2028 CONTINENTAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Portland Raccoons (98-64) vs. Tijuana Condors (95-67)

Game 6 – Rico Gutierrez (12-7, 2.56 ERA) vs. Jonas Mejia (17-11, 3.07 ERA)

This matchup had been a winner for the Raccoons in Game 2. It better be one again.

TIJ: CF C. Murphy – 1B McGrath – 3B Sanks – RF M. Matias – SS Showalter – C Zarate – LF Braun – 2B Fitzsimmons – P Mejia
POR: SS Ramos – 2B Stalker – CF Mora – LF Hereford – 1B Harenberg – RF Gomez – 3B Nunley – C Tovias – P Gutierrez

Ramos singled, stole second, stranded at third in the opening inning, which was exactly not what my nerves had needed. At least Sanks was the only Condor to reach the first time through, drawing a 2-out walk in the top 1st, but it was not like the Raccoons were any good with the sticks. Stalker hit a 2-out single in the bottom 3rd, their first hit since the Ramos single, and Mora grounded out weakly to strand him, too.

Sanks was on base again in the fourth inning, hitting a 1-out single up the middle. Oh well, no major damage yet, and we can – oh ****, Mike Matias hit a line drive over the leftfield fence. It was the Condors’ eighth home run against an overwhelmed and humiliated Raccoons pitching staff in the series, and they had only one homer of their own. Also notice how we are already moving towards the post mortem in the middle of the fourth.

Rich Hereford made it two with a leadoff jack in the bottom 4th that by definition had nobody on base and thus still saw the Raccoons trundling towards elimination in a 2-1 game. Harenberg singled. Nunley singled. Tovias hit into a double play to end the fourth.

No, there was nothing left in terms of hope. Hope sucked anyway. Confidence was better, but the Coons had been stripped of all of theirs. In better times they would have been a good bet to exploit Mejia’s clumsy leadoff walk to Rico Gutierrez in the bottom 5th. Right now, I only saw three outs lining up to take turns at the plate. Ramos, however, singled, while I got ready to jump out the window with Honeypaws in my arms. Stalker struck out, Mora walked, and it had to happen now or it certainly would not ever happen anymore. Rich Hereford HAD to turn the game around, RIGHT … NOW. Mejia had him at 0-1 when Hereford put the ball in play… a bouncer to Fitzsimmons… terrible, terrible, terrible… terrible things would happen …! Fitzsimmons’ feed was dropped by Showalter for a ghastly error; the Coons tied the score on that alone, and still had the bags full with one out for the next double play action figure, Kevin Harenberg, who, true to fame, hit into a 6-4-3 double play. NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! IT CAN’T BEEEEEEE …!!!!

Yet it was. Even Rico was mad as **** and struck out the core of the Condors’ lineup, all righties, in the top of the sixth. But with the Coons, their next RISP chance to **** around with was never far around the corner. Rafael Gomez opened the bottom 6th with a double to right, and here came the bottom of the order for more horrors to be displayed. Nunley grounded out to first, which at least moved up the runner, and Tovias flew out to Braun in shallow left, which certainly didn’t. Our paw was thus forced – we had to bat for Gutierrez. Jon Correa struck out.

Kevin Surginer pitched two clean innings, just like in Game 5. His efforts did not reap rewards, because the Raccoons kept being fooled by Mejia, one way or another. The Raccoons would send Josh Boles for the ninth, and he would face the right-handed middle of the order and labored achingly around a leadoff walk to Shane Sanks, who ended up stranded at second base.

So there could still be a walkoff and maybe a happy end if we could replace Rin Nomura with a rejuvenated (or maybe even just current-condition) Nick Brown within 24 hours. But first they had to win this one, which meant scoring a run, which was hard to do.

Pat Selby was tasked with denying them a run. Tovias led off, hitless on the day, but singled up the middle to become the winning run aboard. And the Critters only needed that ONE run – and sent Boles to the plate to bunt. Once Tovias would be at second, Magallanes would run for him. Josh dropped down a goodie, and Magallanes got into the game with 180 feet to cover. The Condors kept avoiding Ramos, who was walked intentionally to where his hindpaws wouldn’t count. Tim Stalker lopped a single to center, but Adam Braun got so dangerously close to it that Magallanes could not go further than halfway and when the ball fell in could not score. Bases loaded, one out, Abel Mora. Any deep fly would do. He grounded to the mound, and the Condors killed Magallanes at home. At least… well… that brought up Rich Hereford. And they could not walk him, they had to face him all 146 RBI of him, including the playoffs. Hereford swung and missed once, then swung and met the second time. Soft line to center, and everybody knew immediately they’d come back tomorrow, because this was a walkoff single in no man’s land.

Raccoons 3, Condors 2 – series tied 3-3

Ramos 2-4, BB; Stalker 2-5; Hereford 2-5, HR, 3 RBI; Gutierrez 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K; Surginer 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K;

Valdes and me burst into a spontaneous embrace and bounced up and down through my office… at least until he started to comb my disorderly hair.

Yes, Rin, there will be a Game 7.

And you better have your **** together.